ENGLISH
REFERENCE

hip

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈhɪp// UK //hˈɪp// hip Archaic General-service Slang

n. the area on each side of your body between your waist and the top of your legs.

n. the anatomical region on either side of the pelvis, where the femur connects to the trunk of the body.


SIMPLE

She stood with her hands on her hips.

CONTEXTUAL

The athlete suffered a minor injury to his left hip during the final minutes of the match.

COMPLEX

Advancements in medical technology have significantly improved the success rate of surgeries designed to replace the ball-and-socket joint of the hip in elderly patients.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English hipe, hupe, from Old English hype, from Proto-Germanic hupiz (compare Dutch heup, Low German Huop, German Hüfte), from Proto-Indo-European ḱewb- (compare Welsh cysgu (“to sleep”), Latin cubāre (“to lie”), Ancient Greek κύβος (kúbos, “hollow in the hips”), Albanian sup (“shoulder”), Sanskrit शुप्ति (śúpti, “shoulder”)), from *ḱew- (“to bend”). More at high. The sense "drug addict" derives from addicts lying on their hips while using certain drugs such as opium.

Etymology 2

From Middle English hepe, heppe, hipe, from Old English hēope, from Proto-Germanic heupǭ (compare Dutch joop, German Hiefe, Faroese hjúpa), from Proto-Indo-European ḱewb- (“briar, thorn”) (compare Old Prussian kaāubri (“thorn”), Lithuanian kaubrė̃ (“heap”)).

Etymology 3

Unknown or disputed. Probably a variant of hep; both forms are attested from the first decade of the 20th century. Some sources suggest derivation from Wolof hepi (“to see”) or hipi (“to open one’s eyes”). Others suggest connection to the noun, as opium smokers were said to lie on a hip. Neither of these suggestions is widely accepted, however.

Usage

Commonly used in the plural when referring to the general body area or posture.

Idioms1 entry

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